Major and Minor Scales, Key Signatures

Question 1

When should a piece be written in a certain key signature?

Answer 1

Music that mainly contains notes of the scale (raised or lowered) and in which the tonic is an important note. The key signature is repeated at the start of every stave.

Question 2

What is the pattern to finding the scale and notes of major scales with sharps?

Answer 2

When starting a major scale on the dominant of the previous scale, keep all the sharps and add one for the leading note.

Question 3

What is the pattern for finding the scale and notes of a major scale with flats?

Answer 3

When you start a major scale on the sub-dominant of the previous scale, keep all the flats and add one for the sub-dominant of the new scale.

Question 4

What are the raised notes of all the major scales with sharps?

Answer 4

C major - None
G major - F sharp
D major - F sharp, C sharp
A major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp
E major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp
B major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp
F# major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp, E sharp
C# major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp , A sharp , E sharp, B sharp

Question 5

What are the lowered notes of all the major scales with flats?

Answer 5

C major - None
F major - B flat
Bb major - B flat, E flat
Eb major - B flat, E flat, A flat
Ab major - B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat
Db major - B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat
Gb major - B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, C flat
C flat major- B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, C flat, Flat

Question 6

Name the accidental notes of every major scale starting from sharps to flats

Answer 6

C major - None
G major - F sharp
D major - F sharp, C sharp
A major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp
E major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp
B major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp
F# major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp, E sharp
C# major - F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp , A sharp , E sharp, B sharp
F major - B flat
Bb major - B flat, E flat
Eb major - B flat, E flat, A flat
Ab major - B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat
Db major - B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat
Gb major - B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, C flat
C flat major- B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, C flat, Flat

Question 7

What are the order of sharp according to the circle of fifths?
What are the order of flats according to the circle of fifths?

Answer 7

C—>G—>D—>A—>E—>B—>F# Extra sharp for the leading note of current scale.

C—>Fb—>B—>Eb—>Ab—>Db—>Gb Extra flat for leading note of previous scale.

Question 8

What is the minor scale?

Answer 8

The relative minor scale has a tonic two notes before its relative major scale with the pattern tone, semitone, tone, semitone, tone, tone. Therefore, the relative minor of C major is A minor. A minor is the tonic minor of A major. Minor are a sadder scale and are distinctive because of a raised 6th and 7th and lowered 3rd.